COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Norristown grad Brandon Shippen preparing to line up on the other side of the ball for Temple

By TOM LAYBERGER, For The Times Herald

Sunday, April 27, 2014

SPRINGFIELD — Before spring practice began Temple coach Matt Rhule summoned Brandon Shippen to his office and proposed the idea of moving to the offensive side of the ball and becoming a receiver. The thinking was that Shippen’s speed, which has been clocked at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, could pressure opposing defenses.

Shippen, who was a backup cornerback and special teamer in his first two seasons with the Owls, applied plenty of pressure on opposing defenses at Norristown High. As a running back he earned Suburban One Conference First-Team honors in his senior season of 2011. Not only did he pile up 2,074 career rushing yards for the Eagles, but Shippen, who was also a star cornerback, showed good hands coming out of the backfield to make the catch. So much so that he also lined up at receiver. Transitioning to offense, therefore, would not be much of a problem even after two years away from that side of scrimmage.

“I like playing receiver,” said Shippen, following Temple’s spring game at Cardinal O’Hara High School on Saturday. “I played running back and some receiver in high school, so playing receiver comes natural.”

A lot comes natural to Shippen, who was a standout in track for Norristown. However, there is a difference between playing the position in high school and at the highest level of college football. The 5-foot-11 Shippen has found out that the biggest difference has nothing to do with the physical aspects of the position.

“The only thing that was really difficult at first was the tempo,” he said. “In high school you huddled up and got the play, but it is more complex in college. Routes are also a little more difficult. In high school you could kind of finesse it as much as you want, but now it is more technique.”

There is no doubt that Shippen, who will be a junior come August, has taken hold of the position. In Saturday’s Cherry and White game he took the field on the opening series with the Cherry squad. He was split wide left in a three-receiver set and was targeted by starting quarterback P.J. Walker and backup Tim DiGiorgio often throughout the afternoon. He finished with two receptions for 31 yards as his Cherry team lost, 10-9.

It was certainly different seeing No. 17 on offense.

“It is definitely a big opportunity for me,” said Shippen, who made 18 tackles last season. “P.J. is the type of quarterback that puts you in position to make plays and it is always fun to play with somebody like that. The chemistry between me, P.J. and the other quarterbacks has been good.”

Walker took over as the No. 1 quarterback early last season. His first start was a nationally televised affair on a Friday night at Cincinnati in the season’s fifth game. He went on to set numerous school freshman records in what was a tremendous contrast from the run-heavy offense Temple ran in recent seasons. While the Owls finished 2-10 last year, an exciting offense provided more than hope for the immediate future. Now, Walker has another weapon to work with.

“Shipp is a fast guy who can get open and make things happen,” he said. “You can get him the ball on a two-yard pass and he would end up making it into a 20- or 25-yard play.”

It is that game-breaking ability the prompted Rhule to move Shippen as well as another former defensive back, Nate Hairston, to receiver.

“Shipp is a real good athlete and we need a little more speed outside at receiver,” said Rhule. “Shipp is a 4.4 guy who will provide a role for us. Between him and Nate Hairston we have a couple of 4.4 guys that played defense and will hopefully stretch the field for us. Shipp has done a real good job and he had a good spring.”

While Saturday was a sun-splashed spring day, the truth is that the season opener is only four months hence. In what will be the first game on the new SEC Network, the Owls kickoff the 2014 season in primetime at Vanderbilt on Thursday, Aug. 28. The summer will go by fast enough and for Shippen it will be a time to continue to digest all there is to know about the position.

“Fundamentals of the offense, routes, knowing the plays better, the whole concept of what it is like to be a receiver,” he rattled off when asked what he needs to work on the next few months.

He would love nothing more than to play a role in helping turn the tables on the Owls’ fortunes. The 2-10 record included four losses by three points or less with two games decided within the last five seconds and another defeat coming with 35 ticks on the clock.

Nobody around the Temple football program needs to be reminded of such heartbreaking losses. But they were reminded and the message is sure to resonate throughout the summer and again when fall camp gets underway in August.

“We had a good spring and coach wanted us to focus on finishing,” said Shippen. “Last year we struggled to close out games and there was a lot of emphasis on making sure we finish. We have a lot to prove after last year and we need to go about every game like it is our last. We can’t let up on anybody. From start to finish and from Vanderbilt to whoever we are playing we have to go all out to the end.”

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Starting cornerback and Norristown High product Anthony Robey was limited this spring by a groin injury and did not participate in Saturday’s game. He participated in the halftime festivities, though, when Rhule recognized five players for annual spring awards. Robey, who in the winter received his undergraduate degree in criminal justice, earned the team’s Academic Award. The three-year letter winner with 28 career starts was a member of the 2013 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.